US metals company Comstock and its subsidiary Comstock Metals have received certification from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to recycle universal waste and process PV modules at their California facility.
The companies were added to California’s list of authorised universal waste recyclers. According to Comstock, a growing volume of decommissioned solar panels across California, Arizona and Nevada is driving increased demand for recycling capacity.
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The California facility offers utilities, developers, engineering and construction firms (EPCs), installers and asset owners a local solution for end-of-life PV management. Using advanced recovery processes, the plant extracts materials including aluminium, silver, copper and gallium for reintroduction into the supply chain.
Fortunato Villamagna, president of Comstock Metals, said the facility supports efforts to “close the loop” on solar by preventing retired panels from ending up in landfills.
Located in California’s Central Valley, the site acts as a collection and pre-processing hub, with materials shipped to Comstock’s Nevada plant for final recovery. The facilities are positioned to address rising volumes of solar waste in California, the largest solar market in the US, with over 54GW of operational solar PV, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Additionally, Comstock is completing permit applications and preparing submission plans for its Nevada plant, with final site selection expected later this month. In January 2026, Comstock secured all required permits to develop its planned solar PV module recycling facility in Nevada, receiving a Written Determination Permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management on 9 January.
Comstock Metals had signed a lease for the Silver Springs site in 2024 and said the project remained on track for commissioning in the first quarter of 2026. At full capacity, the facility is expected to process up to 3 million end-of-life solar modules per year, equivalent to around 100,000 tonnes of material.
